Brooklyn, NY: Of late, the much-loved and visited arts & entertainment venue, The Kings Theatre, Brooklyn has been name-checked for presenting an enviably diverse program of top artists’ shows and speaking events, such as Ben Folds, Art of Rap, Tegan and Sara, In Conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates and StarTalk Live! With Neil DeGrasse Tyson, not to mention the NYC venue choice for last week’s live reunion of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

It’s worth it to note that while audiences routinely come from all over NYC, since its renovation and reopening in 2015, the Kings Theatre has maintained a deep commitment to its local community…

To that end, the Kings Theatre is happy to announce their plans to host a Kings CaresThanksgiving Luncheon on Thursday, November 23rd 12:30-2:30PM at their newly renovated courtyard space adjacent to the theatre’s magnificently marqueed facade.

For this event, the theatre has prompted a collaboration with a number of key organizations who work tirelessly to provide insight and resources to the people of its Brooklyn enclave.

The Kings Theatre’s Marketing Coordinator, Chrystelle Henry recounts how it all came together…

“Since our opening, we’ve had 2 consecutive free community events around the holidays. Both were Christmas themed. We decided that we wanted to give back to the community again for the 3rd consecutive year, and we thought it might be much more fulfilling to invite our neighbors especially those less fortunate, to share in a meal with us.”

Church Avenue BID, two organizations that enhance the visitor experience and business environment of Flatbush Avenue from Parkside Avenue to Cortelyou Road and of Church Avenue from Coney Island Avenue to Flatbush Avenue, to coordinate, “Lauren informed me that The Flatbush Reformed Church, not too far from the Kings Theatre, where she usually hosts a Thanksgiving Luncheon, would be under renovation, so she was in search of a new location for this year.”

Kings Theatre General Manager, Tyler Bates says, “While we’re always looking for amazing shows and events to bring into the theatre, we also always have our eyes on how we, as an organization that acknowledges its place in the community, can give back to it. In this case, with the opening of the new courtyard space, it was perfect timing!.”

Henry adds, “Lauren was the perfect partner on this event because we hoped for someone who was familiar with hosting something of this capacity, and to put it simply, we all share similar motives to service the community and we’re all coming together to ‘break bread’ with our neighbors.”

Henry and Collins followed through with an idea to have the meal itself prepared by the students of the Academy of Hospitality and Tourism at Erasmus Hall, a high school program in Flatbush. The program is set to donate their kitchen, and students will be donating their time prepping and cooking along with their culinary teacher, Dawn Watson.

Erasmus Assistant Principal, Luke Fitzgibbon says of the Luncheon, “We are very excited, especially our culinary teacher Ms. Dawn Watson, to be partnering with Kings Theatre and BID for the Thanksgiving event and beyond. The Academy of Hospitality and Tourism at the Erasmus Campus is a Career and Technical Education school with a focus on Business through the Hospitality and Tourism industry and our culinary arts program. We feel that students learn best from “doing” and that learning through work, also known as work-based learning (WBL) is an invaluable experience that makes our students highly marketable for both career opportunities and post-secondary institutions.”

The Kings Cares Luncheon is also made possible by CAMBA, a nonprofit organization, started in 1977, that provides services that connect people with opportunities to enhance their quality of life.

“CAMBA’s participation came about because last year we encouraged all those attending our Holiday open house to donate to their annual can drive,” says Henry, “but more importantly, because they service those less fortunate daily at their Food Pantry and I thought we could advertise this event with them as well.”

Flatbush Avenue Stop and Shop Store Manager TJ McLeod arranged a donation of $700 worth of groceries and store employees will be donating their time to help with cooking. The Flatbush Ave. BID will cover an additional $200 in groceries to the event. And the 70th Precinct will offer the participation of its officers (commanding officer Deputy Inspector James Palumbo) and young people from the 70th Precinct Explorers (headed by P.O. Cheryl Adams).